Eagles’ $255 Million Pro Bowler Called ‘Not Top Five’ QB in NFC
Even with a 10-game winning streak and an impressive 12-2 record, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts continues to struggle for recognition.
On December 19, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky criticized Hurts on “First Take,” placing him low on his list of NFC quarterbacks. “I would not put (Hurts) in my top five right now,” Orlovsky stated, adding, “Jalen is playing really well … it’s not a knock on Jalen.”
Despite this praise, Orlovsky ranked Hurts significantly lower, nearly outside his Top 10 quarterbacks, placing other players like Jordan Love, Sam Darnold, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield, and Matthew Stafford ahead of him. Hurts recently signed a 5-year, $ 255 million contract extension with the Eagles in March 2023.
In a bit of history, Orlovsky is known for one of the NFL’s biggest bloopers. A fifth-round pick by the Lions in the 2005 NFL Draft, he remains infamous for accidentally running out of his own end zone for a safety during a game against the Vikings in 2008, leading to a 12-10 loss for the Lions. That year, he started seven games as the team went 0-16, marking a historic winless season in the NFL since the schedule expanded to 16 games in 1978.
Hurts Has Faced Criticism Within Own Locker Room
Orlovsky’s slight isn’t the first time Hurts has faced criticism in 2024 despite the Eagles’ overwhelming success to this point — criticism that’s come inside of his own locker room as well as in the media.
After a 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers on December 8, Eagles wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith both called out the passing game after Hurts went 14-of-21 passing for 108 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions.
One week later, Hurts told The Associated Press he was playing with a broken finger on his left, non-throwing hand following a 27-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in which he went 25-of-32 passing for 290 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions while also rushing for 45 yards and 1 touchdown.
“It’s broken, and it did impact my play,” Hurts said. “ … If it’s shattered, it’s shattered. It is what it is.”
The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz, said Hurts was “closer to bottom 10” as an NFL quarterback on an episode of “The Ringer NFL Show” on December 11.
“(Hurts) is far worse than the quarterback we saw in 2022,” Ruiz said. “And I think that’s the biggest concern that it’s not like his play has regressed as things have regressed around him. I think you could kind of make the argument that things might be better around him … He’s just not making the throws and I don’t know how to quantify that.”
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